Title: The Dream Lover
Author: Elizabeth Berg
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Copyright: April 14, 2015
ISBN: 978-0345533807
ASIN: B00LYXSNTC
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Biographical Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Inspired by Real Historical Figures
Summary
At the beginning of this powerful novel, we meet Aurore Dupin as she is leaving her estranged husband, a loveless marriage, and her family’s estate in the French countryside to start a new life in Paris. There, she gives herself a new name—George Sand—and pursues her dream of becoming a writer, embracing an unconventional and even scandalous lifestyle.
Paris in the nineteenth century comes vividly alive, illuminated by the story of the loves, passions, and fierce struggles of a woman who defied the confines of society. Sand’s many lovers and friends include Frédéric Chopin, Gustave Flaubert, Franz Liszt, Eugène Delacroix, Victor Hugo, Marie Dorval, and Alfred de Musset. As Sand welcomes fame and friendship, she fights to overcome heartbreak and prejudice, failure and loss. Though considered the most gifted genius of her time, she works to reconcile the pain of her childhood, of disturbing relationships with her mother and daughter, and of her intimacies with women and men. Will the life she longs for always be just out of reach—a dream?
Brilliantly written in luminous prose, and with remarkable insights into the heart and mind of a literary force, The Dream Lover tells the unforgettable story of a courageous, irresistible woman.
Review
The story opens up in 1873 where George is an old woman. Knowing that her death is not entirely too far off, she reminisces about her earlier life.
The story alternates between her childhood in the early 19th century and her life as a disgruntled married woman in the year 1831. As a married woman, George Sand has done the unthinkable and made an agreement with her husband where they remain married but live separate lives. She spends the majority of her time living in Paris while her husband remains at the country estate with their two children, Maurice and Solange. What follows is a constant stream of lovers that happen to always leave George a dissatisfied shell of a person. Yes, there were scenes showing her writing sprinkled in here or there but overall, it was mostly about her pursuit of of lovers.
From start to finish, this book unfortunately failed to draw me in. George Sand was a fascinating and colorful personage of the 19th century who turned Parisian society upside down with her avant-garde behavior, something which Ms. Berge portrays quite well. I found her portrayal of Sand to be uncompelling and I found it difficult to connect with the protagonist. Most disappointing was her depiction of Frederic Chopin as well as some of the other historic characters as Franz Liszt and even Gustave Flaubert. To her credit, the author must have done a considerable amount of research and it is apparent in her writing, disjointed though it may be.
It seemed almost as if Ms. Berg’s George Sand was a barnacle on her lovers’ backs. It would have been nice for the story to have been about Sand and less so about her interaction with lovers.
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